


Leave A Message

by Listentothelittlebird



Series: Code Bat [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Robin (Comics), Young Justice (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Not Canon Compliant, Tim Drake is Alvin Draper, Tim Drake is Red Robin, his team only knew him as Alvin and referred to him as A-D when in costume, the Bats kept their relations to themselves, voicemails and reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:47:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27246793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Listentothelittlebird/pseuds/Listentothelittlebird
Summary: When Tim left Gotham and became Red Robin, he had to leave anything that could compromise his identity.He left Cassie a voicemail that she never replied to - not until their friends returned from the dead.Or, Tim’s team reunites after cheesy voicemail confessions
Relationships: Bart Allen & Tim Drake & Kon-El | Conner Kent & Cassie Sandsmark
Series: Code Bat [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1964452
Comments: 16
Kudos: 597





	Leave A Message

One new message.

~

“Hey, Cassie,” Alvin Draper’s voice trailed through the speaker. There was a weighty pause, a fortifying breath, before he continued.

“It’s been a while. How are you doing? I mean, I know the last time we talked you did mention that you managed to enroll back in public schooling. That must be a big change for you, huh? You always talked about being homeschooled by your mom…” he trailed off.

Another breath, and a puff of air that indicated a sigh. “A lot of things have happened since we last met - since we last talked. I’m actually really glad you didn’t pick up the phone, because I don’t think I’d be able to… to make this call, say everything I need to say, if you were listening on the other end.”

“I’ll skip to the point. I need to leave. I’m leaving my home, my family, and this phone. I can’t take anything with me, or- or someone might get hurt. It’s just a gut feeling, but I trust my gut a lot. This will be the last call you get from me in a long, long while.”

Alvin gulped audibly, shifted slightly on what sounded like his bed. “I just wanted to thank you, Cassie. For being a good team leader, for listening to all of my strategies. For letting me fight alongside you guys even without a proper identity. A-D was never supposed to be my codename, of all things. Thanks for trusting me to be the first non-meta on the team. For trusting me enough to let me out in the field instead of just sitting behind a computer screen.”

“I know I was angry back then, when you decided to stop crimefighting, and just go back to being a normal civilian. Now, though, it’s been a while since- since Kon and Bart left, and I think I’m starting to understand where you were coming from. You needed to change, to leave it all behind so that you could move forward with your life. I get that - the change part, I mean.”

“I hope you’re living the best life you can. This is goodbye. I hope I see you soon. Alvin, out.”

The voice message ended.

~

Two new messages.

~

“Hey, Al,” a cheery voice filtered through, but it was a smile encased with brittle glass. Fragile, almost broken.

“In case it wasn’t clear enough, this is your pal Bart, using Cassie’s phone.” Bart laughed hollowly, “I wish I had stolen her phone, done some sort of meager prank to get here, but… Cassie just showed us your recording. The, uh, the phone call that she missed, that is.”

A muffled sob was heard, a distance away from the receiver. Low murmurs of comfort followed.

“We- ah, it hurts to know that’s the only thing you left behind. I mean, not to say that you’re dead, of course you aren’t - I swear, A-D, nothing but the world ending would get you to stop moving.” 

There were laughs, then. A brief moment of light smiles, a breath of fresh air, before they sombered again.

“I guess the problem was you were always too nomadic, eh? Always travelling, whenever Young Justice didn’t have missions. Not that the rest of us didn’t have places to be, but you always disappeared with little to no explanation. I can’t help but wonder where you went, whether you really were visiting your family as often as you said. At least then we had some comfort in knowing you were with your fam. Now, though…”

Bart sighed. “Look, man, I know the chances of you seeing this message are slim, but you really should come back and join the Teen Titans again, yeah? Join us again. I mean, I’m Kid Flash now! I made my own adjustments to the suit. I’d… it’d be great if you saw it, you know? Maybe gave your own feedback on it, since you always seemed to know how to help us out with that kind of stuff.”

A minute break, but for a speedster, it was a lengthy pause. 

“We miss you, alright, Alvin? Come visit us. Please.”

The tone was pleading, earnest, telling of how Bart had grown from the happy-go-lucky child he had started as.

The voice message ended.

~

“Alvin,” Kon’s voice was shaky, but then he cleared his throat, sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth, “Alvin. Hey.”

A laugh bubbled its way out of his throat. “Gosh,” his voice was warbly but fond, “You really had to leave us with such a- a spy movie kind of message? You really watched too many of those in your life. I always wondered if you learnt how to be a stealthy little ninja from those shows, or something crazy like that. It’d make sense - I mean, we all watched you recreate Home Alone traps, that one time.”

Kon sniffed. 

“Ah, man, I don’t know what I’m doing. I told Cassie and Bart that I didn’t want to say anything, but Cassie just shoved her phone in my hand and left the room, and Bart followed and… now I’m here, talking to a tiny little cellphone.”

“Cassie told me that you changed the colour scheme of your costume - red and yellow to red and black, to honour me. You still kept that stupid hooded cape, though? I don’t believe you,” Kon huffed a laugh.

“You always had this obsession with hoodies, didn’t you? How many times do I have to say that your hood is impractical before you remove it? I just hope you got rid of that ridiculous ‘A’ you had on the tunic - you were so adamant at putting it there as a hidden shuriken. I still don’t get that.”

He paused. 

“Bart said it already, but I’ll say it again. If you’re out there, and you’re getting these messages - we really want to see you again. Even if you’ve left it all behind and become a civilian - which I highly doubt, honestly - at least give us a call, tell us you’re okay. We just want to have some sort of confirmation that you’re still out there.”

“Kon, out.”

The voice message ended.

~

Ah, shucks. 

Usually, Kon-El would blame Bart, but this was honestly a mistake on all of their parts.

The situation was ridiculous. They got lured here chasing after a few thugs? Even Ma and Pa would be disappointed - and that said a lot.

Kon tugged at his restraints, but the Kryptonite exposure was doing him in. The green hue was all around him, and he was stuck in a pod that bore too much resemblance to a cloning unit. Fortunately for him, the pain from Kryptonite radiation was keeping him occupied.

Cassie was bound with magical handcuffs, which was mildly concerning, if only for the fact that someone had managed to get their hands on a pair. Bart was unconscious, and his healing factor seemed to be blocked off by whatever was hindering his metahuman abilities. The cuffs, Kon’s addled mind supplied.

He was barely holding on to consciousness.

They were being held captive by some idiotic scientist who thought to use them as bait for… Superman? The Justice League? Honestly, this guy was pretty stupid. The older Titans were more likely to come to their aid than anyone else.

Regardless, one of their communicators lay on the table, blinking a harsh red, and it would not be long before someone came for them.

He just hoped that whoever it was would be smart enough to evade whatever traps the villain of the week had placed for them.

Again, Kon felt stupid for being caught by this no-named scientist. They were the Teen Titans, for goodness’ sake!

“I’m prepared for anyone and everyone,” the scientist cackled, and Superboy mused that the man sounded like a witch from the Wizard of Oz, “Another Kryptonite trap for Superman, another magical shackle for Wonder Woman, oh, even power inhibitors for the various assortment of heroes that may come sniffing out this signal! If Batman is the most prepared hero, then surely I’m the most prepared villain!”

If Kon’s migraine hurt any less, he would have rolled his eyes. Long and slow. Instead, his sluggish brain pointed out that the action was more suited for Alvin - they seemed to carry his mannerisms with him, wherever they went. 

Gosh, Alvin would have their heads if he was here. He could hear him already, ranting about being prepared for anything…

Kon thought he heard something, but he brushed it off. He could hardly hear anything that was not within the room itself, his super hearing muted by the Kryptonite. 

It happened again. A thud. Like something was dropping. Moments later, the scientist was yelling at the screen, demanding that it turned back on. One look told Kon that someone was taking the cameras out systematically, leaving behind static and brief glimpses of bullets careening off the walls at an unidentified target. 

There was a flash of red as the last camera went down.

The scientist cursed, spamming the control panel vigorously, while Kon racked his brain for a name, someone who wore red, who would answer the call. Roy came to mind, but he of all people would not have come alone. 

There were very few people crazy enough to tackle a rescue operation by themselves…

Kon came back to himself with a jolt. 

_Alvin._

The door to the room slid open, but nobody entered except for the mechanical head of a machine gun thrown to the far end of the room. Kon watched the doorway as the scientist turned, following the sudden movement as the gun’s head clattered onto the floor. The villain was inexperienced - he had missed the barely-there shadow which slinked into the room behind his back.

The scientist was down and out for the count in moments, bound up with a zip-tie.

The figure was on the smaller side, thinly built but still sporting defined muscles. As he stood up after securing the villain, his black cape fell over and around his shoulders, his arms disappearing beneath its folds.

Back still turned to them, he made his way to the control panel. The only light in the room finally fell on him - black mop of hair, pale complexion, black-gloved hands dancing on the controls with the ease of a practiced hacker.

Beside him, Cassie and Bart’s restraints clicked off. The Kryptonite glow faded as his pod opened, and he went limp even as his own restraints were released, practically falling out of his glass prison.

He was caught and steadied, his hand slung over a shoulder. He blinked down at the blood-red tunic, black bandoliers clasped over it and sporting a bird-like symbol.

“Superboy?” a voice questioned. He spoke in a low whisper, but his voice was still so achingly recognisable.

“Al?” Kon lifted his head to meet eyes masked by a familiar domino, “A-D?”

Alvin smiled, small and strained. “Hi,” he croaked awkwardly. The smile was fleeting, gone and replaced with the stoic frown he used on missions. 

“C’mon,” he coaxed, using his other hand to extend his bo staff, “Let’s get out of here.”

~

“You’re Red Robin,” Cassie summarised, using her fingers as counters, “You now have a reputation as an unpredictable vigilante-detective because of your apparent involvement in both demolishing the League of Assassins and proving Batman was still alive. Oh, and that was the reason you needed to go off radar. Alvin, what the shit?”

“Language,” Alvin squeaked, receiving a glare from their team leader as a response. Alvin sighed, “Well, you’re basically right, except for demolishing the League of Assassins. I’d say I dented them, they’re way too resilient to be brought down by one attack.”

“The point is you went tow-to-tow with Ra’s Al Ghul,” Bart blurted. Alvin turned sharply to him, retort on his lips, but he was promptly cut off, “Don’t even try to deny it! Wally keeps coming back with crazy Justice League gossip, and you were a topic of discussion for weeks!”

Alvin cringed at that. “Ah, well, I hope the gossip is good?” he mumbled meekly.

He had changed out of his new costume - he was wearing a red hoodie, now, practically swimming in it as he fiddled with the hoodie string. Kon tried to imagine his friend taking down all the wrecked robots they had walked past while escaping the scientist’s lair, and shook his head. 

Alvin was simultaneously the most and least scary out of all of them.

“If by good you mean having a very intimidating track record, then yes, even Superman is kind of wary of you,” Kon added. The way Alvin lit up at the statement, despite the domino mask still in place, brought a smile to his own face.

“I’m just sorry I took so long to visit - well, by visit I mean-“

“Forced to say hi after getting an emergency signal from one of our communicators,” Cassie stated flatly. Alvin slumped. “I’m sorry,” he repeated earnestly, “I’ve been using this time to get settled back in with my family. Not to mention, arranging my civilian life in a way that actually allows me to be a vigilante. Double lives are hard, I’m sure you guys know that.”

“So, now that you’re back, and you seem to be able to vigilante despite your civilian life, will Red Robin be joining the Teen Titans?” Bart quipped, staring at him with wide puppy eyes. 

Alvin nodded, “I- I heard the voice messages that you left. I, uh,” he turned to Cassie, “If you’ll let me, then I’d love to join you guys, again. I know it’s been a while, but-“

“Shut up,” Cassie cut in a second time, punching him lightly on the arm. She was grinning, extending a hand out, “Welcome back to the team, Alvin.”

Alvin smiled, and took her hand, shaking it firmly. Bart whooped, and Kon felt his face split into a dopey smile.

Alvin retracted his hand, and Kon felt his friend’s heart stutter nervously. He cleared his throat, all eyes falling on him.

“I-“ he swallowed, paused to run a hand through his hair. They waited as he steadied himself.

“Tim,” he spoke with a strong voice, heart thrumming like a hummingbird, “My name is Tim.”

The others stilled. They all knew from the start that Alvin was not his real name, but it had pretty much slipped their minds…

Kon moved first, slinging his arm over Tim’s shoulders, tipping him over so that he was leaning against him. “Alright, Tim,” he smiled brightly, his friend relaxing his tensed body at his casual response, “Nice to meet you.”

They still called him Alvin, most days, but it was the fact that he had entrusted them with his real name, his real nickname, that counted most.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I know, I missed out Cassie - I just feel like she’d have had nothing to say to Tim at the time, especially since I made her a temporary civilian. She probably shoved it to the back of her brain until Bart and Kon came back. 
> 
> I hope I did Young Justice justice (hAh) - I mean, I don’t have a grasp on their characters as much as I do the Bats. I tried my best, I hope you enjoyed reading!!!


End file.
